Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension
Charles County Office
9375 Chesapeake Street, Suite 119
La Plata Maryland 20646
University of Maryland Extension programs are
open to all citizens without regard to race,
color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual
orientation, marital or parental status, or
national origin.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST
THE COMPOST
Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension, Charles County Office, 9375
Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD 20646
Phone: 301-934-5403—301-753-8195
Cindi Barnhart
Jessica Milstead
Betsy Parbuoni
Jessi Thibault
Carol Teets
Editor
Copy Editor
PDF Editor
Art, Mail
Writer, Mail
Janet McGrane
Elaine Miller
Anna Haugh
Larry Martin
Karol Dyson
Calendar
Mail
Mail
Mail
Advisor
Cover: 2011 MG Chair Carol Teets, Charles County Commissioner President
Candice Quinn-Kelly, and County Extension Director Karol W. Dyson at our
holiday meeting.
WINTER 2012
Happy New Year and Thank You For A Successful 2011
As the 2011 Chairperson for the Charles County Master Gardener Program, I want to thank everyone for their support throughout the year.
I am proud to be a part of a team of volunteers that have made a difference in all corners of Charles County.
As I look back on 2011 it occurs to me that the Charles County Master
Gardener program has "Grown" in many ways. We started out with a
Steering Committee ready to provide the "Seeds" for a successful year,
our annual training class educated 22 Master Gardener Interns, and
our projects must have received the proper "Fertilizer" as they were
bigger and better than ever. But most of all my memories are centered around the people who have made a difference in Charles County through the Master Gardener Program.
WINTER 2012
Happy New Year and Thank You For A Successful 2011
2
Holiday Meeting with VIPs Wraps Up 2011
3
Maryland Native Plant Society Conference
4
Projects
Greening Up & Beautifying Through Plantings
5
Project Briefs:
Compost Newsletter and Speaker’s Bureau
5
Help Us Maintain a Historical County Treasure
6
Moving On to Other Master Gardener Projects
6
County Commissioners’ Bay-Wise Resolution
7
2012 Master Gardener Training is “Best Ever”
8
Detention Center Garden Begins Again in May
9
The Ninth Annual Christmas in April For MGs
9
Green School Project—Thomas Stone High School
10
Thomas Stone HS Going Green in a Big Way!
11
Winter / Spring Events
12
Save The Dates
13
Mallows Bay: Late Summer Flowers & Ghost Ships
14
The Nature Walks Will Continue with Jessica
15
Native Plants of Maryland, What, Where, When booklet
16
International Master Gardeners Conference
17
School Garden in La Plata Only Cost Me Time
18
The “Herb Lady” Brightened Our Gloomy Day
19
Thank You Carol For A Job Very Well Done
20
MG Statewide Advanced Training
22
I look forward to our continued success in 2012!
Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by March1, 2012
for publication in the Spring 2012 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet
McGrane by March 1, 2012. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any time
for future publication.
Thank you friends,
Carol Teets
2
23
MG STATEWIDE ADVANCED TRAINING
February and March 2012
Youth Gardening Education
Program will run from 9:30 a m -3:30 p m and will be repeated in 3
locations:
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
●Baltimore County Extension- Saturday February 25, 2012
●Washington County Extension- Friday, March 2, 2012
●Sheridan Street Garden (PG County)- Saturday, March 3, 2012
Registration fee: $30. For a complete description of the program and
to register, go to the MG State website at: http://
mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/YouthGard.cfm
*************************************************************************
Master Composter
Location: University of Maryland Extension, Montgomery County
(Derwood)
Date: Wednesdays, March 14 and April 4; 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (includes
field trip)
Registration Fee: $45 (plus any texts) Registration Deadline: March 7,
2012 Class Limit: 25
For a complete description, go to: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/
AdvancedTraining/MasterComposter2012.cfm
busy Gale will be this upcoming
year, and after getting our part in
the initiative going, she will be
looking for someone to take this
on as an ongoing project, so think
about that, as well. It is exciting
to see what has been done and to
hear what will be done by these
enthusiastic teachers and students, and it would be very rewarding to know that you have
had a hand in creating this Green
School Initiative.
STONE
(Continued from page 11)
with a presentation by Marty on
weedless gardening. Gale Kladitis
will be presenting a class on
seeds in February, and one on
starting herbs, tomatoes, green
peppers, and celery in March.
If you would like to help out with
this incredible project, or have a
presentation on an aspect of gardening you would like to share,
contact Gale. We all know how
22
Clockwise, our invited VIPs: Karol Dyson, Marcia Wakefield, Judy Tomason, Ann
Bodling, Emily Ferren, Craig Renner and Cynthia Thornley.
Holiday Meeting With VIPs Wraps Up 2011
By Sue Brewer, Class of 2008
community groups with whom we
had partnered in the previous
year. The attendees included
Craig Renner, ACPT; Emily Ferren,
Director, CC Libraries; Judy
Thomason, Herb Lady; Marcia
Wakefield, CC Extension Administrative Assistant; Karol Dyson,
Extension Director; Cynthia
Thornley, PD Brown Librarian; and
Chuck Goodrich, who made the
salad boxes for sale.
December 6 marked the date of
our annual Master Gardener holiday meeting and advanced training at the Hampshire Neighborhood Center in St. Charles. The
center is decorated each year for
Christmas with trees and beautiful white lights everywhere. The
MG elves transformed the inside
of the center with colorful tablecloths and beautiful centerpieces.
Everyone signed up to bring their
favorite holiday dish and the buffet table was truly a gourmet delight.
Commissioners President Candice
Quinn Kelly stopped by to show
her support, although she was
unable to join us for the evening
due to several other commitments.
What set this meeting off from
previous years were the invited
guests who came to represent
(Continued on page 16)
3
Maryland Native Plant Society Conference
By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002
Smith saw (about which we know
quite a lot!) with what would be
seen today. Definitely not your
usual “save-the-river” presentation. Katharine McCarthy described the natural communities
and some of the rare species in
our area. I wish we could have
made these two presentations
part of our training class!
Our state wildflower society is
the Maryland Native Plant Society
(MNPS – at www.mdflora.org). In
September 2011 the society’s annual conference was held at the
College of Southern Maryland in
La Plata, and several Master Gardeners attended the events. To
my mind, MNPS had the right balance of activities at its conferences: a social on Friday evening, two excellent speakers on
Saturday morning, a field trip
Saturday afternoon, and another
field trip Sunday morning. In other words, if you go to this conference you can spend most of your
time on field trips!
On Saturday afternoon I was fortunate to be asked to lead a field
trip. After giving up on Gilbert
Run because of the mess after
Lee’s rains, I chose to take the
group to Piscataway Park, where
we explored both the marsh/
swamp boardwalk and the living
shoreline. Thanks to the presence
of several people whose
knowledge of native and wild
plants is greater than mine, we
all came away with a better understanding of both habitats, and
I compiled a list of plants that we
found. It’s too long to publish
here, but I’ll be happy to share it
via email upon request.
The presentations on Saturday
morning were also events not to
be missed. Jim Long of the Mattawoman Watershed Society
talked about the Mattawoman
watershed, of course, but he built
his presentation in the context of
Captain John Smith’s expeditions
up the Chesapeake Bay and the
Potomac River, comparing what
CAROL
(Continued from page 20)
plant the azaleas” that are a signature of the program. Well, Carol had other ideas. We increased
our presence in the program by
not only planting the signature
plant (in the correct place) but
pruning, mulching and planting
annuals. In the process we have
had many homeowners and others
who participated in the Christmas
in April program learn the how’s
and why’s of correct gardening
techniques.
Two years ago, I resigned as CoChair but Carol continued alone.
The program has blossomed and
grown under her leadership. Her
ability to see people’s strengths
and her unique ability to have
them volunteer to use these assets for our program has caused
the program to flourish. Although
I am sure Carol will continue to
be heavily involved in the program, her presence as a leader
will be missed.
Carol has always been on the newsletter committee, and I can always
count on her to give me an article or suggestion for whom to tap for
an article. ~ Cindi Barnhart
Editor’s note:
On Sunday, December 18 another MNPS Field Trip: Winter Solstice
Walk and Hooley in Chapman Forest was held and in the next issue of
the newsletter we will have a report on this field trip. 2012 is MNPS’s
Year of the Oak.
4
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Linda Lockhart, Judy Norris, Carol Teets and Jessi Thibault assemble a Winter
issue of The Compost for mailing.
21
Thank You Carol For A Job Very Well Done
By Linda Lockhart, Class of 2001
and Interns but also to the County Commissioners, the Extension
Advisory Committee (EAC) and to
many others in our community.
Retiring Chair Carol Teets has
long been a fantastic asset to the
Charles County Master Gardener
Program. Carol and I took over
the reins of
the program
many years
ago. At the
time, Jessica
Milstead had
resigned her
“tour of duty”
and a new
leader was
needed. After
much deliberation, Carol
and I decided
that although
neither of us
wanted the
sole duty of leading the program,
we would be Co-Chairwomen.
Thus began a wonderful experience in my life.
Under Carol’s
leadership
the Master
Gardener Program reached
out to Civista
Hospital and
undertook the
design of a
very difficult
garden in
front of the
Emergency
Room. This
garden is under a roof
where it gets
no rain (but a sprinkler system
that works off and on), cement
sidewalks and a cinderblock
building. All this made it very
difficult to find plants that would
survive. It was quite a difficult
task but Carol and her team
made it work.
Working with Carol was a real
joy. She always had many wonderful ideas of how the program
should grow and she had the
leadership to carry out her plans.
I often sat in awe watching her
enthusiasm, hard work and grace
as she presented our program to
not only the Master Gardeners
Carol was also responsible for our
involvement in the Christmas in
April program. When we first began working with this program
they considered our task to “just
(Continued on page 21)
20
Children’s Aid Society
Ongoing
Contact: Brenda Elmore
Greening Up & Beautifying Through Plantings
By Brenda Elmore, Intern
the landscape design and make
recommendations for suitable
plantings.
I have some news to share, as
well as an “Oops!” I previously
reported that the Children’s Aid
Society had received a grant from
Chaney Enterprises in order to
update and beautify their facility
after the completion of their
building renovations, with the MG
consultation beginning this past
fall.
Since the Children’s Aid Society
must fund their beautification
project with grant money, I
would like to offer them some
suggestions of where they could
apply. I am going to recommend
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation,
but I would like to give them
some other resources should they
need to try elsewhere. If you
know of any conservation, government, or commercial sources
of grants or possible donations
for greening up and beautifying
through planting, please email
your suggestions to me. Thank
you!
Unfortunately, the grant fell
through, and due to myriad delays, building permits are only
now being issued, with construction scheduled to begin in late
spring, hoping for a completion
date in late summer of 2012.
Once the construction is complete, MGs Pauline Spurlock, Esther Reaves, and I will consult on
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Marian Bruemmer
The Compost Newsletter
Ongoing
Contact: Cindi Barnhart
Use your knowledge to inform the
public and/or your fellow Master
Gardeners.
Photographers and writers are
needed to cover MG activities and
contribute to the newsletter.
5
The “Herb Lady” Brightened Our Gloomy Day
By Brenda Elmore, Intern
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House
Ongoing
Contact: Beth Bonifant
Help Us Maintain a Historic County Treasure
By Beth Bonifant, Class of 2003
our Southern Maryland summers.
The temptation is always to do
more; we gardeners are like that!
Keeping in mind historical accuracy, perhaps it's best to maintain a level of restraint.
Our small but dedicated group of
Master Gardeners just closed another season of tending the herb
garden at the Dr. Mudd House in
Waldorf. Although the herb garden is our primary responsibility,
we tend to tidy up the foundation
areas and the perimeter plantings
as well. There are expansive iris
beds installed by a Mudd family
member along the front fences.
The boxwoods that embrace the
front steps keep company with a
couple of truly spectacular peonies, bleeding heart and blackeyed susans that add color during
We meet at the house on the first
Wednesday of each month, April
through October or November.
When weather is cool we meet at
10 a.m. During the hot summer
months we try to arrive by 9 a.m.
to beat the heat. Anyone desirous
of a pleasant way to achieve MG
hours is encouraged to join us.
Mt. Zion
Completed
Contact: Nardine Daniels
Moving On to Other Master Gardener Projects
By Nardine Daniels, Class of 2003
I've enjoyed my horticultural outreach for nine years, but feel
that I would like to move on to
other MG projects.
As of the end of the year I will no
longer be heading up the Mt. Zion
Church garden project.
6
November 22 was a gloomy, grey
morning with wet brown leaves
on the ground. Bare branches
were everywhere, relieved only
by the occasional evergreen trees
and shrubs. Master Gardeners at
our meeting looked on in curiosity
while Neal Johnson and our guest
speaker, Judy Tomason, carried
in boxes and sheaves of dried
plants. Judy had come to tell us
about herbs.
Judy has been a self-styled
“amateur gardener” for over
twenty years. Her knowledge and
love of plants began on the farm
where she grew up.
Meeting her and listening to her
share her knowledge about herbs
really brightened our day! She
shared her love of container gardening, showing pictures of her
garden in bloom, offering resources for us to read, demonstrating how to use bunches of
aromatic dried herbs, and even
treating us to a sample of her
lavender cake and lemon balmmint tea.
Many of us also grow herbs, and we
were delighted to hear about new
ways to grow and use old favorites,
as well as being introduced to
herbs we’d never encountered before. Judy not only has a green
thumb, but she grows a green garden, avoiding use of chemical fertilizers or pest control products. She
had tips for using natural methods
to get fabulous results. She shared
her preferences about herbs to use
in canned, frozen, and bottled
foods such as salsa, pesto, and
home-made “V-8”.
Judy left us wanting to know more.
Carol Teets not only gave her an
invitation to our holiday pot-luck,
but also invited her to become a
Master Gardener, class of 2012.
Altogether, we had a delightful
time.
Thanks, Neal, for asking her to
come and present for us. It was a
treat!
For a list of herbs and suggestions on their uses go to the University
of Maryland Extension website:
http://environmentalhorticulture.umd.edu/Herbs/index.cfm
19
School Garden in La Plata Only Cost Me Time
By Pam Garwood, Intern
and it was actually awarded to
my school. On the first try… without ever taking a grant-writing
course. Kind of like winning the
lottery. Soon children, parents,
and teachers will know names
and characteristics of plants in
the school garden. They can read
that those purple flowers are
called Echinacea purpurea, they
attract butterflies and goldfinches and enjoy full sun.
At a time when most of us are
waiting for the UPS man to bring
packages to our door for Christmas, I too am waiting for a present. But the present’s not for
me. It’s for a humble school garden. My email confirmed that the
plant identification signs I ordered are on their way. Yes! I fist
-pump the air. I want to high-five
someone. But who would share
my nerdy enthusiasm about plant
identification signs? I listen for
the sound of the truck, a thunk of
a package hitting the stoop and
the ding-dong that comes with a
delivery.
I picture myself pounding all 20
signs into the earth. When spring
comes, I see people walking
through the garden looking for
traces of spring. My mission will
be complete when I hear someone read the sign aloud and then
proclaim “I didn’t know that”.
While I wait for the signs, I savor
the best part of this purchase.
The Grace Lutheran school garden
in La Plata upgrade didn’t cost
me anything but time. I didn’t
have to host a bake sale or beg
the PTL for money. The money
was bestowed upon me by the
generous town of La Plata. I filled
out an application for a grant*
*If you are interested in applying
for a grant of up to $500 for your
project, please contact
www.townoflaplata.org and click
on Conservation Corner. There is
the La Verde Mini Grant or the
Beautification Grant Program.
Some general examples for kinds of projects:
●Landscapes and gardens for schools, working with students
●Christmas in April: plantings
●Demonstration gardens
●Exhibits at the Charles County Fair and elsewhere
●Help the organization run more efficiently (print handouts,
reference book selection, etc.)
Bay-Wise
Ongoing
Contact: Ronda Goldman
County Commissioners’ Bay-Wise Resolution
By Ronda Goldman, Bay-Wise Coordinator
In the previous issue of The Compost I described the presentation of
Bay-Wise certification to the County Commissioners. In addition to
the county's adoption of policies that made the government building
qualify for certification, the Commissioners decided to support our
program more generally, and to encourage residents to take the BayWise challenge by passing the following resolution:
Whereas, the Potomac River and the entire Chesapeake
Bay watershed are vital treasures to residents of Charles County,
treasures now threatened, but significantly impacted by the choices made by landowners;
Whereas, the Bay-Wise Residential Landscape Management
Program is an education program conducted by Master Gardeners
and developed by University of Maryland Extension with the purpose
of providing environmentally sound information and guidance;
Whereas, the Bay-Wise Program is a volunteer-led program
offering information on how to save time and money while developing
sustainable, healthy landscapes that support local waterways;
Whereas, the Bay-Wise Program includes certification of
property based on successful scores on the Bay-Wise Maryland Yardstick, a scorecard of options to encourage wildlife retention, fertilizing
wisely, protecting waterfronts, using water efficiently, recycling yard
wastes, controlling storm water runoff, managing yard pests through
Integrated Pest Management, mulching appropriately and planting
wisely;
Now, therefore, let it be resolved that the Charles County
Commissioners support the Bay-Wise Residential Landscape Management Program and encourage residents to “Take the Bay-Wise
Challenge” with the Bay-Wise Maryland Yardstick and the Charles
County Master Gardeners.
18
7
International Master Gardener’s Conference
By Marian Bruemmer, Class of 2008
2012 MG Training Class
February 21—March 29
Contact: Barbie Walter
2012 Master Gardener Training Is “Best Ever”
By Barbie Walter, Class of 2006
will feel right at home by the
time they complete training.
The syllabus for the 2012 training
is approaching completion. Three
or four advanced trainings will be
included in the program. I have
added two weeks to the program,
so that it will run from February
21 to March 29. This addition allows time for a few more topics
to be covered; makes the program less rushed as we try to get
in both training and administration, such as interviews, paperwork, etc.; and builds in more
contact time between students,
Interns, and MGs. There is one
Friday class, on February 24,
which will be a full day’s advanced training presented by Dr.
Raupp. If you haven’t heard him,
you should.
My right-hand help as Facilitators
this time is Co-Coordinators Terry
Thir and Mary Grant. They deserve a big THANK YOU for taking
on the demanding task of facilitating the program. Unless you
have done it you can’t imagine
how valuable they are to keeping
the training going smoothly.
Now that the speakers are lined
up I am looking forward to getting
to know and training a new class
of future MGs. And I hope to see
all of the MGs at the advanced
trainings, where they can meet
and greet the new class.
Attending the 2011 International
Master Gardeners “Color it Green
in a Wild and Wonderful Way”
conference in Charleston, West
Virginia, was one of the highlights
of my gardening year. The threeday conference began with a catered reception featuring some of
West Virginia’s top chefs as well
as mountain dulcimer and guitar
entertainment.
in gardening, I also attended my
now third presentation on supposedly weedless gardening! There
were some really good keynote
speakers including Anna Ball, Ball
Horticultural Company; and Rick
Darke, featured in “Garden Design” and “Gardens Illustrated”;
and Joe Lamp’l, host of the TV
shows “Fresh from the Garden”
and “GardenSMART”.
There were optional day tours to
historical, cultural, and garden
sites in and around Charleston. Of
course, the keynote speakers and
seminars were the reason I was
there and were well worth the
trip. I attended seminars on new
and great old plants; landscaping
with native trees and shrubs; native wildflowers for eastern gardens; and tough plants for tough
places. Due to my own experience
I always learn something new
from attending classes and seminars and this conference was no
exception. My only disappointment was that there was no session or opportunity to hear from
the Master Gardeners from other
states about their successes. I
would encourage attendance at
another International MG Conference, especially when there is
another one close!
Editor’s note
Janet McGrane has secured, on
behalf of the Master Gardeners,
the library window inside La Plata
Library on Garrett Avenue for
March of 2012. Last year’s display
was marvelous and a credit to our
organization. Please come and
view what I know will be a outstanding display.
Feeling a bit lost and not sure
what comes next after completing the training has always been
an issue for the new Interns, so
this time more opportunities for
interaction between MGs and students are built into the program.
The buddy system tried last year
turned out to be iffy, at best.
Hopefully this year our students
8
2011 INTERNATIONAL MASTER GARDENER CONFERENCE
SEARCH FOR EXCELLENCE—SPECIAL NEEDS AUDIENCES AWARD WINNER
1ST PLACE
Chain O’Lakes Department of Correction Landscape & Horticultural
Classes—Noble County, Indiana
This program is like our Charles County Detention Center Horticultural
Education Program, but gave the students an 80 hour course based on
the Master Gardener training program with an emphasis on landscape
design and installation, greenhouse production, rain gardens, and other horticulture skills to help get them jobs when they got out.
17
HOLIDAY
During the meeting Carol Teets
announced her plans to step down
as the MG Steering Committee
Chair and contact person. Gale
Kladitis will be taking on the responsibilities. Carol did a fine job
of leading us these past several
years. She was very organized,
disseminated information in a
timely manner, and kept her
meetings upbeat and positive.
Thank you, Carol, for a job well
done!
(Continued from page 3)
Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Detention Center Garden Begins Again in May
By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008
Carol Teets presents a boxwood tree
made by MG Mary Beth Chandler to our
speaker, Ann Bodling of Thistlebrook
Natives.
For Native Plants of Maryland,
What, Where and When go to:
http://www.hgic.umd.edu/_media/document/NativePlantsofMaryland.pdf
Take this 24 page UME publication booklet with you when buying plants
so that you'll know if plant is suited to your conditions
This list of Maryland Native Plants is useful in a variety of ways:
●Plant listings by type of plant (organized by plant type like ground
cover, low shrub, short tree, etc.)
●Plant listings by preferred conditions (see what plants like dry sunny
spots, partly sunny and dry, moist shade, etc.)
●Plant listings by Common Name
16
The spring sessions will begin on
Wednesday May 9, at 9 a.m. We
will have all male students or all
female students for our class,
depending on which group has
more eligible participants. I will
contact Jeff Merchant, our liaison
at the CCDC, and Sgt. Tracy Williams, Charles County Sheriff’s
Office, Corrections Division, in
February and will keep everybody
informed on our progress.
The last session for the fall Detention Center program was to
close the garden for the winter.
Many of us picked the old okra
plants for fall arrangements and
harvested peppers and carrots.
Plans are under way for the preparation of the garden for spring
planting.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
The speaker, Ann Bodling of Thistlebrook Natives, who is also on
staff at the Alice Ferguson Foundation in Accokeek, shared her
lifelong love of native plants.
She gave a PowerPoint presentation which showed how, over the
course of many years, she transformed her yard from a typical
“lawn in front” property to one
which encourages wildlife to visit.
She stressed that her goal was to
select natives so that her property would not only be attractive to
wildlife but also require the
smallest amount of water, labor
and pesticides. Ann also shared a
number of pamphlets and books
which are readily available and
helpful to anyone wanting more
information on the subject. She
invited anyone with a question to
contact her at:
Thistlebrooknatives@gmail.com
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
The Ninth Annual Christmas in April for MGs
By Carol Teets, Class of 2003
partner with the Christmas in April
organization.
In the Spring issue of The Compost
I will be sharing more information
on how you can participate in this
annual endeavor, scheduled for
the week of April 28, 2012.
Christmas in April, a chapter of a
national organization, is dedicated
to rebuilding and repairing homes
of elderly, disabled, and lowincome residents.
Experienced Master Gardeners and
Master Gardener Interns will again
9
MALLOWS BAY (Continued from page 14)
aren’t supposed to overlap very
much in distribution – but they do
here. There are detailed botanical differences, of course, but
the obvious difference to a lay
person is that V. alternifolia has
Green School Project
Thomas Stone High School
Ongoing
Contact: Gale Kladitis
alternate leaves (DUH!) while
those of V. occidentalis are opposite. V. occidentalis doesn’t appear in most of our field guides,
but according to the PLANTS database (http://plants.usda.gov)
they are separate species.
By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008
The Green School Project at
Thomas Stone High School has
thrived since it began in 2006 and
will continue to thrive through
the assistance of community
groups. Charles County Master
Gardeners have been invited to
lend our expertise in all aspects
of this project. Barbie Walter and
I recently toured the campus and
were introduced to the project by
Tim Chase, a biology teacher, and
Chris Rooney, a science teacher.
The tour included the raised beds
in the interior courtyards and the
beginning of the greenhouse, as
well as the start of a hydroponic
garden made from plastic bottles
and PVC piping. Both of these
teachers are dedicated to making
this dream come true for the current student population as well as
future students.
The Nature Walks Will Continue with Jessica
Beginning the hydroponic garden at
Thomas Stone High School.
Photo by Gale Kladitis
Cultural Arts. We were introduced
to the general plan through aerial
photos of the campus and areas of
concentration. The wish list includes maze gardens, outdoor
classrooms, performance areas,
green roofs, literary gardens,
farmers’ markets, sky art, habitat
restoration, orchards, vegetable
gardens, and obstacle courses.
This year’s focus will be determined by the group and will be
implemented with planning and
supplies as weather permits.
Our next meeting was on Tuesday,
December 15. I invited several
Master Gardeners who have expressed interest in the project.
Additional information will be supplied at the monthly Master Gardener meetings, or you can email
me for information.
On November 17, Ronda Goldman
and I attended the first meeting
with community groups and representatives, such as the Accokeek Foundation, Tom Russ
from the College of Southern Maryland, and the Korean Center for
10
By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002
It’s winter now, but my plant
walks will start up again In April.
Check the calendar for tentative
dates. These morning walks focus
on plant identification. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide is back
in print, and the May walk will be
dedicated to learning to use its
identification keys.
Weather permitting, I may lead a
winter walk in January or February. This walk will be announced
by email on short notice when
decent weather is predicted.
Editor’s note:
Nature Walks with Jessica do count as Advanced Training for Master
Gardeners and are open to all Interns. See Calendar for dates.
15
Mallows Bay:
Late Summer Flowers & Ghost Ships
By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002
On an autumn day in early October a group of Master Gardeners
took a plant walk in the new Mallows Bay Park, checking out late
summer wildflowers, trees, and
the ghost ships. Agalinis formerly
known as Gerardia) was in full
purple/pink flower along the
roadside. It’s hard to believe that
this lovely flower is partly parasitic on the roots of other plants,
but it is. There are as many ways
of making a living in the plant
world as there are in the animal
world, and living off other plants
is one of them.
Another conspicuous plant was
Wingstem (Verbesina alternifolia). This is a tall autumn “daisy”
with rather ragged-looking yellow
flowers. It likes to grow in dense
stands in fields or at the edge of
woods. Some fleabanes (Erigeron)
were around, and assorted other
flowers here and there. In the
woods we saw Netted Chain Fern
(Woodwardia areolata) with newlooking fronds that were much
smaller than I would expect – and
some nibbled-looking bare stems.
Deer theoretically don’t bother
ferns, but I think the deer at Mallows Bay don’t know about that
rule.
And what about the ghost ships?
The full version of this fascinating
story would be too long for this
article. Near the end of World War
I the U.S. Navy built a fleet of
wooden ships that were never
used. After being sold for scrap,
many of them were scuttled in
Mallows Bay, off the Potomac River. Today they’re just hulks, and
are actually best seen from the
water (with caution!) rather than
land. In the process, of course,
they have become the basis of
whole ecosystems. For a good
write-up of the story, see:
www.dnr.state.md.us/
naturalresource/winter2001/
ghostship.html. There’s also a
book of this and other tales by
Donald Shomette, available on
Amazon.
A Side Note about Wingstem
Two plants of our area, now
known as Verbesina, used to be
known as Actinomeris. Common
names are Wingstem and Crownbeard. They are V. alternifolia
and V.occidentalis. The experts on
my Maryland Native Plant Society
field trip in September were surprised to learn that we have both
species nearby. Apparently they
(Continued on page 15)
14
Thomas Stone HS Going Green in a Big Way!
Brenda Elmore, Intern
Something wonderful is going on
at Thomas Stone High School.
Teachers Tim Chase, Chris
Rooney, and Bonita Adeeb have
begun an interactive Green
School Initiative plan for the
building and campus of Thomas
Stone High School. Student participation in the beginning phase
is enthusiastic. So far, three,
five, and ten year plans for the
program have been mapped out,
and community partners have
been selected to help with every
thing from funding to expertise;
Charles County Master Gardeners
are on the list. To get the program up and running, grants from
Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, and Comcast have provided funding.
Already the courtyards have been
turned into growing areas, some
with raised beds, a thriving compost program, and an innovative
“hot box” experiment is underway to determine how best to
keep the growing going all year
long. Experimental hydroponic
gardens and the construction of a
green house are already underway.
A natural spring on the property
will provide a courtyard water
feature, as well as different types
of wetland and riparian growing
areas outside. Plans are underway
to store water from this spring in
a rain barrel system which will
hold the water for drip irrigation.
Future plans include making use
of the natural woodlands,
streams, and meadows on the
campus. Eventually a farmers’
market will sell produce, seeds,
herbs, and other items that students produce. A community garden area, green roofs, roof-top
garden areas for student use, a
green wall, and themed gardens
will provide green rooms, and
give almost every department
within the school an opportunity
to help in the development of the
program.
On December 15, Gale Kladitis,
Pam Van Tassel, Marty Eldredge,
and I attended a meeting after
school. We were shown a PowerPoint presentation of the program, and then were taken on a
tour of the courtyards, finishing
up with a walk through the areas
where future outdoor gardens will
be created. We were very impressed with the passion, the program projection, and the scope of
the concept. Master Gardeners
will be helping out with some
classes set to begin in January,
(Continued on page 22)
11
Winter / Spring Events
CALENDAR
(Continued from page 12)
January
May
14
5
Saturday, MG Annual Plant Sale, more information to follow
9
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center classes
begin, contact Gale Kladitis
15
Tuesday, Newcomb’s Wild Flower Identification and Key
Walk, Time and Location TBA, contact Jessica Milstead
Rain date May 22
16
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
22
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
23
Wednesday, MG Annual Training Day in College Park,
Maryland,
Save the Date
23
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
30
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
24
Saturday, 11 a.m.; Plant Sale Organizational Meeting,
Towne Mouse Café, La Plata, contact Gale Kladitis or Terry
Thir for more information
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
February
21-28
28
Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Master Gardener
2012 Training Class, Extension Office, contact Barbie
Walter for more information See page 8
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
March
1-27
Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Master Gardener
2012 Training Class, Extension Office,
27
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting and Project Day,
Location TBD, Open to all MGs, Interns and Students
29
Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Intern Graduation, MG Pinning,
Potluck and Advanced Training, Hampshire Neighborhood
Center, Waldorf
Advanced Training 1 p.m.
April
14
Saturday, Plant Walk with Jessica, Time and Location TBA;
Rain date April 21, contact Jessica Milstead
24
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
28
Saturday, Christmas in April, contact Carol Teets
June
6
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
6
Wednesday, Plant Walk, Time and Location TBA, contact
Jessica Milstead
Rain date June 13
13
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
20
Wednesday, 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center class
26
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
SAVE THE DATES
MG Annual Training Day 2012 will be on Wednesday, May 23
And
Charles County Master Gardener Training Class 2012
February 21 to March 29
Tuesdays and Thursdays for six weeks with Project Day built in
(Continued on page 13)
12
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